Rainbow Cones by Space Cadets, Garden of Delights festival, Manchester, 2004 Photo: Paul HerrmannPro

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Opera Room Caption The Opera Room by Helen
Ottaoway, Alistair Goolden, Deborah Thomas of
Artmusic at the Phoenix Centre, Exeter Photo Tim
Cuff, Apex News Agency
Rainbow Cones by Space Cadets, Garden of Delights
festival, Manchester, 2004
Photo Paul Herrmann/Profile Photo
Agency
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Evaluating culture a citizen-led approach

• Vilnius Reflection March 2009
• Catherine Bunting, Director of Research, Arts
  Council England

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Do we know what were trying to achieve?
We were invited to do (the Year of Music), and
asked what are the objectives? Everitt said,
well actually there arent any objectives.
There was a pause of a week or so, and I said we
must know what were trying to achieve here. I
said shall we do some objectives, and he said,
Oh! Would you? That would be terribly kind.
Anthony Sargent, cited in Bailey, C.
(unpublished). Millennial celebrations and
cultural capitals the case of the Arts Councils
Arts 2000 series.
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How should value be defined?

• should individuals or decision-makers decide on
  the value of policy outcomes?
• if individuals are to determine value, which
  individuals values are important all member of
  society or those in receipt of the intervention?
• should value be based on the preference for an
  outcome or some measure of the impact of outcomes
  on happiness or well-being?

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Valuing the arts
"It's meant to depict a scenery of mountains and
grass, blue sky and a sun, the arts to me means
something that takes you out of yourself as if
you're going out into the countryside, seeing
something of beauty, the arts add that dimension
to life." (retired, C2DE, medium engaged)
A facility for creating, a facility for solace,
a facility for happiness, sadness, a channel for
lots of those feelings.(retired, ABC1, high
engaged)
Children are wrapped up in consumerism and
blinded by advertisingI think it does enrich
their lives and I think it gives them a much more
thought-provoking aspirational life. (parent,
ABC1, medium engaged)
Relaxation, enjoyment, inspiration, all them
things, if you didnt have that access to art,
youd do a full days work, you'd go and get
pissed and you'd go home and go to bed.
(parent, C2DE, high engaged)
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Are we all talking about the same thing?
I built my own house, but Ive never thought of
it before as an art form. Butsometimes Ill
stand and look at it, and I think, Oh
yes(post-family, C2DE, high engaged)
A really good drama, different portraits and
landscapes, sculpture that inspires and is
thought provoking, something that gives you a
different perspective. Sometimes you
see something and you think wow, this gives me a
different perspective on things so that would be
art(parent, ABC1, medium engaged)
Art is expressing your opinions and your mind
through certain activities. (young person,
C2DE, low engaged)
Its true, the arts are really something which
is there for the upper classes and actually they
would rather the rest of us stayed away.
(retired, C2DE, low engaged)
Traditionally ballet would be the arts the
arts are stuffier it is paintings, theatre, and
ballet mainly (parent, ABC1, medium engaged)
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Access and exclusion
I like the arts, its warm and inviting but
there is a barrier up because I think its
something that Id like to do, but something that
I never seem to get to do because of the barrier.
I have nobody to go with or, its just not a
regular thing for me. (pre-family, ABC1, medium
engaged)
If I went to something that I hadnt experienced
before, would I have the confidence to say, Yes
I like this, or, I dont like this, or
understand it? (post-family, C2DE, high
engaged)
I wouldnt be bothered because you think people
look down on you because of the
stereotype (parent, C2DE, medium engaged)
You need more publicityI know if you look hard
enough you can find out the information but
sometimes you need it a bit more clear to
encourage us to go. (retired, C2DE, medium
engaged)
I would love to be able to do it but I am just
too scared to give it a go.(young person, ABC1,
medium engaged)
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Funding for the public good
A lot of the ones that we definitely funded are
things that are definitely giving something back
or beneficial or spreading, like for example, the
ones that maybe help people with disabilities or
provide a platform for young people to do
something creative. (parent, C2DE, high engaged)
What was deserving enough, what was the key
phrase? If it is long enough and wide enough, it
will do the jobit has to have a broad scope,
really a broad brush. (parent, ABC1, medium
engaged)
And we liked that because it was working with
local communities and involving local people into
the actual finished article and bringing people
together, and everybody could get involved. So,
for me, I think the funding should be fair more
than anything. (post-family, C2DE, high engaged)
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Deliberating outcomes

• excellence arts experiences that enrich and
  challenge
• innovation putting ideas into practice to crate
  fresh and distinctive work
• diversity a multitude of voices, traditions,
  cultures and ideas expressed through the arts
• reach increasing the proportion of people who
  experience the arts
• engagement a sense of public ownership of and
  entitlement to the arts

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From research to policy

• five core outcomes at the heart of the Arts
  Council plan for 2008-11
• major national campaign to encourage people to
  try something new in the arts
• new grants criteria based on the five outcomes
• new processes to involve a wider range of voices
  in decision-making
• ongoing work to
• further clarify the core outcomes
• develop metrics based on public perceptions and
  experiences

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From policy to practice
Campaign initiationMembers of the public working
with the arts sector to develop campaign values
and core activitiesReading ManifestoQualitative
research with readers and non-readers to inform
the goals of a new multi-agency partnership to
promote reading
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Ongoing challenges

• embedding public value requires wholesale
  cultural change
• difficult to advocate for ongoing consultation
  and involvement particularly in a recession
• policy makers can be fickle and forgetful
• need a long-term view

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No, my whole perception of the arts has changed.
It makes me think Ill look more intojust
something different. I wont do the same thing
every weekend, Ill just go out and look for
something different to do with the arts, whatever
it be. But Ive learned so muchmy perception was
theatre and now Ive learned so many different
types of the arts that I will look at every
single one of them.
(pre-family, ABC1, medium engaged)
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Thank you

• www.artsdebate.co.uk
• www.artscouncil.org.uk/audienceinsight
• catherine.bunting_at_artscouncil.org.uk

www.artscouncil.org.uk